Q. I’ve had an order for the new Chrysler 300C since May and no delivery as yet. The dealer can’t explain the delay, only that the salesman and sales manager are no longer with his firm.
My deal was for $500 above invoice, and I suspect it was sold to someone offering full list or more. Should I stick with this dealer? He’s reordered my car but said he’ll refund my money.
R.T., Lincolnshire
A. You ordered the 300C just about the time it went on sale, and no one knew that demand was quickly going to exceed supply for the version of the 300 sedan that comes with the 5.7-liter, Hemi V-8. Orders for the C are almost 50 percent of 300 production.
So while having a deal to pay $500 more than invoice on what became a huge hit could be one explanation you haven’t gotten the car–and someone willing to pay list or more may be driving the car–the primary reason you haven’t gotten your car is that there are not enough to go around.
Chrysler just announced it soon will add a third shift to its Brampton, Ontario, plant that builds the 300 lineup. And it said that some 300 series cars will be built at its plant in Graz, Austria, that now produces Jeep Grand Cherokees.
Be patient.
Q. Why aren’t front license plates required on motorcycles like they are on cars?
J.B., Chicago
A. “When motorcycles first appeared, there was no spot on the front to hold a plate and no law requires one now. It’s more or less tradition,” said Dave Druker, spokesman for the Illinois secretary of state’s office.
Q. Regarding the 2005 Buick LaCrosse CXS (Transportation, Nov. 7), this vehicle is another example of a styling problem General Motors has had for decades. It maintains the look of older Buicks, with the oval grille a dead giveaway. It seems that GM’s styling committees are hellbent on maintaining their front-end “identity,” preventing them from coming out with vehicles with a fresh look.
A.M., Evanston
A. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, you name it, all say 1) that surveys of current owners insist a styling theme used for years should never be done away with (vertical taillamps at Cadillac, kidney-shaped grille at BMW) and 2) that they feel consumers will abandon that car line if they do change the styling theme. All insist “it’s important to know that it’s a Buick [or BMW or Cadillac or you name it].”
That said, we agree with you.
Q. Regarding your article about storing an old Chevrolet Corvette (Transportation, Nov. 7), I’ve been storing an old Chevrolet Camaro for 12 years. You should fill the car with gas and add Sta-Bil because storing a car with little gas creates condensation problems.
C.L., Oak Park
A. That’s what Phil Kuhn, proprietor of the Chicago Car Exchange in Gurnee, told us, and for some reason it got trimmed out when we reported his response. It’s also the advice given by Bob Weber, the Tribune’s Motormouth.
Q. I was hoping you could shed some light on when we can expect to see the Chevy Uplander in showrooms.
I’ve called numerous dealers and get contradicting dates.
S.J., Hinsdale
A. Chevy told us the Uplander van should be in showrooms as you read this, but don’t look for huge numbers during assembly startup.
Q. Do you really expect us to believe that 300 Ford employees (Transportation, Oct. 31) could come up with only 100 names since 2002, and the best one was “500?” With those kind of results, it’s no wonder American jobs get outsourced.
R.L., Gurnee
A. For starters, it’s not, repeat, not, 500. It’s Five Hundred, written out to conform with the carmaker’s policy that new Ford cars start with the letter F.
The letter refers to a story about the trials and tribulations Ford faced in coming up with names for its 2005 Five Hundred and 2006 Fusion sedans.
It’s rather surprising that employees came up with 100 names, considering that they had to start with the letter F; not be trademarked, licensed or owned by someone else; and be neither suggestive nor obscene as they appear or as they are translated in any country in which Ford does business.
Besides, they didn’t have from 2002 to 2005 to come up with the names; they had a few months in 2002.
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Send questions about cars and trucks to Jim Mateja, Chicago Tribune, 616 Atrium Drive, Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1523, or send e-mail, including name and hometown, to jmateja@tribune.com.
